Family
by Deona Lindholm
Summary: Season 2, MMPR.  On a summer's evening, Billy and Zordon have an unusual conversation.  Review, please!


_Family_

_A.N.: This is a one-shot, although it will tie in to another story I'm doing, **Relatively Blue**_**.**

_Summary: One late night, Billy has a discussion with someone about families and Eltar. Takes place in season 2 of MMPR (and definitely before **Relatively Blue**!)_

It was a summer evening in Angel Grove. Most people at this time were out on their porches, enjoying the cooler air. Some were playing outside and others were in their rooms. Normally, Billy would have been in his room, doing some studying. However, this particular night found him in the Command Center. The Rangers had been in a fierce battle and the Zords were in need of repairs, which the Blue Ranger volunteered to help with.

He walked in from the Zord bay, blue work shirt already covered in streaks of grease and oil. There were a few streaks on his face as well. Alpha walked in the direction of the bay and said, "Ai yi yi! Billy, you've been in there for the past few hours. You need a break! I'll take over while you rest."

"That's why I came out, Alpha," was the quiet answer.

"_How are the repairs on the Zords coming along?"_ Zordon asked.

"Zedd did a number on them this time. If I don't get any sleep, they'll be repaired by tomorrow afternoon. If I do, it'll be tomorrow night, at best."

"_I doubt that Lord Zedd will be attacking for a few days, so get your rest when you can."_

"I thought you'd say that. I'll stay here tonight while the repairs are going on. I told my father I was at a friend's place for a sleepover for a couple of days. There won't be any problems." He added quickly, "I will get some sleep."

"_Good. The last thing you need is to overtax yourself."_

"Hm..." Alpha walked into the Zord bay and the Blue Ranger sat back against a wall, closing his eyes for a moment. _If my sister caught me overworking, she'd give me one of those looks that'd make me feel guilty..._

"Zordon?"

"_Yes?"_

_Wouldn't hurt to ask..._

"Do you have family?"

"_Excuse me?"_

"I'm curious about something," Billy admitted, "I know you said you're from the planet Eltar. If what I'm about to ask is something I shouldn't be getting into, I'm sorry. I'd like to know, do you have any family back there, like a mom and a dad, or a wife and kids?"

There was a sudden silence. He glanced over at his mentor, and the face in the energy tube looked surprised.

"_That is a question I did not think anyone would ask me."_

"Again, if I'm treading into any taboo topics, I'm-"

"_I do, actually."_

That answer caught him off guard.

"Excuse me?"

"_I do have family on Eltar."_

Billy drew his legs up against him. "I'm listening."

"_I do not have a mate, but I do have siblings, as well as nieces. As far as parents are concerned, they have most likely passed into the next life by now."_

"Nieces?"

"_Yes. They are twins named Celia and Frelia."_

"What are they like?"

"_Unfortunately, they were born long after I was trapped in the time warp, so I have never met them. I have been told through transmissions about them, though."_

"Such as?"

"_Frelia is a lot like you. She is highly intelligent. However, she is also quite...timid."_

"A shy genius? I know that feeling," he answered with a smile that was both amused and sympathetic. "How about Celia?"

"_The best comparison would be a combination of Jason and Tommy."_

Billy couldn't help but laugh at that and shake his head. "She sounds like a real handful."

"_May I ask about your family?"_

"You're curious too?"

"_Yes."  
_

He lowered his head, and a moment later, he sighed sadly.

"You probably know already about my family."

"_I only checked the records of you and the other original Rangers when you first joined, not after then."_

"I...I see." The Blue Ranger paused, then said, "I used to have a mother and father. A month after we first became Rangers, my mom was in an automobile accident. She was in a coma. Three weeks after that, she died."

"_I see. I'm sorry."_

"It's all right. I have my friends, you and Alpha, as well as my dad and my sister."

"_Who is she?"_

"Clara Marie. When she was learning to talk, she couldn't say her name correctly, and it always came out as Clairie. Don't ask me how, but it stuck. She doesn't remember it, of course, so she thinks I came up with it." He smiled softly at the memory. "She's almost eight."

Even as Billy smiled, there was a sadness to his eyes, which Zordon caught.

"_What happened to her?"_

"You don't miss much, do you?" He sighed and admitted, sorrow now evident, "I don't know. Nobody does. A few months ago, she suddenly stopped talking. She hasn't said a word since then."

"_I see. It seems that you love your sister."_

"Yes. I love her a lot." His voice trembled slightly as he added, "I just hope that this condition doesn't end with... I know I couldn't handle it if she died."

For once, Zordon was speechless. At that moment, Alpha came in from the Zord bay. He sensed that a rare conversation was going on and decided to quietly go the other way.

Wanting to change the painful subject, Billy said, "Speaking of names, it's strange how here on Earth, many have three parts to it, while others have up to four or five. American names have three. For example, mine is William Edward Cranston, and like I said, Clairie's is Clara Marie Cranston." He chuckled a little, "I bet you find the inconsistent number of name parts odd."

"_Inconsistent, yes. Odd, no. All people on Eltar have five parts to their name."_

"That's got to be interesting. Can you give me an example?"

"_Zordon fa Andel la Zeo."_

The Blue Ranger blinked at that, very surprised. His mentor had never given his full name to any of them until now.

"_An English translation would be Zordon of the Andel family, lineage of Zeo."_

"So _fa _means of, and _la_ means lineage."

"_Exactly. The last part of the name depends on not only bloodline, but also on fame."_

Billy thought for a moment, "I'm only guessing, but I assume that, for example, Celia's would be Celia fa Andel la Zordon."

"_That's a very accurate assumption."_

The young genius nodded, then groaned lightly. "Lately, I can't seem to get any sleep, no matter what I try. I know Clairie's having some trouble as well. Knowing that her condition could go into the final stages at any time frightens me more than I care to admit, and it doesn't help."

After a moment, Zordon simply said, _"Alpha, I know you're near by."_

"Ai yi yi. Whoops," the robotic assistant replied sheepishly and entered the room.

"_Activate speakers. __**Fa'le Tol Na Chai'luma**__."_

"Are you sure?" the automaton asked, concerned.

"_Yes."_

"Very well, then."

Billy looked between the two, confused. "Should I ask what you're talking about?"

"_It's a traditional night song from Eltar."_

"Night song? You mean like a lullaby?"

"_Yes. Although it is from my world, the language it's sung in is Cosima, often called the language of the stars."_

"Now I am curious. If you don't mind, I think I might learn this night song myself," he admitted, then quickly added, "For Clairie."

"_As long as it's only for you and your sister."_

"Thanks, Zordon. If she asks, I'll just tell her it's foreign, which would be very accurate."

Alpha said, "I found it, you two. Billy, I'll also make a copy for you, as well as print the words and the translation, so you can learn it."

As the young man replied, "Thanks," soft music resounded through the main room of the Command Center, sounding of twinkling, as well as reed instruments. It gave the sense that the stars themselves had sounds of their own. He leaned back and listened, letting himself relax. Within moments, Billy heard someone singing. He didn't know who it was, but he had a feeling it wasn't either Zordon or Alpha.

"_Na fe so'la,cru tei'ma,_

_Fa'le Tol Na, Chai'luma._

_Ki'rei fa cosim, Sa'li te,_

_Qa cru fa'lei, fa'do'ma so'la..."_

It would be later when Billy was learning this song, he would find that the first verse translated into:

"The day's sun, below the sky,

In the new night, watches the moon,

Child of cosmos, sleep thee here,

'Till the next dawn, the renewed sun..."

By the time that the "night song" had ended, Alpha looked over and found Billy sitting against the wall, fast asleep.

"Ai yi y-"

"_Shhh!"_

"Oh, sorry, Zordon," he answered in a much lower tone, "I'll get some blankets and put him in a better position."

"_Please do."_

After Alpha got the blankets and made the sleeping Blue Ranger more comfortable, he asked, minding his volume, "I understand why you played this for Billy, but why are you letting him learn it for his sister?"

"_Many reasons. Amongst them, although the Power Rangers have more responsibility and burdens than the average teenager, a situation like Billy's is causing more stress than necessary. This would be bad for all of the Rangers."_

"Why else?"

Zordon was silent for a moment, then answered with, _"I have been in his situation before. One of my younger siblings had an uncurable disease and passed early."_

"Ai yi yi! How horrible!"

"_Yes, it is. Watching it happen before my eyes was almost more than I could bear at the time."_

"Zordon, is it true that those who are destined to be a child of the stars will be affected by hearing Cosima?"

"_No, I do not think it is."_

0000000000

_Billy stood completely still, staring ahead. All around him were stars, more than he ever thought could be seen from Earth, much less any planet. Beneath his feet was a path that felt very solid, but looked to be nothing more than stardust, condensed to the point that it looked like a milky, glittering trail, going on as far as the eye could see, perhaps going on forever._

_A short distance off, he could see a nebula in its fullest splendor, glowing with colors of red, blue and pink. He spoke quietly, in Cosima, and the stars within whispered their answers in the same language. He quickly turned around as a fiery comet passed by._

_He had to admit, everything around him was breathtakingly beautiful._

_Billy could feel the warmth from the comet as well the coolness of outer space on his hands and face. The combination of the cosmic sight all around him and the sensations on his skin was exhilarating, and every part of his body and soul felt both peaceful and fully alive._

Even after he awoke the next day, more rested than he had been in some time, and in the years to come, it was one very vivid dream that Billy would never forget.


End file.
